MARIA STUARDA - Jukstapoz

ABOUT
- JUKSTA Company was founded in 2010 by choreographers Christine Gouzelis and Paul Blackman. What began as a creative partnership has since evolved into an internationally recognised company, known for its bold choreographic language and multidisciplinary collaborations.
  Working as both a choreographic duo and stage directors, Christine and Paul are united by a shared philosophy: that juxtaposition is a powerful lens through which to explore the diversity, conflict, and beauty of human experience.
  At the heart of their work are motion-driven states, where body, light, and scenography are not passive backdrops but active, interconnected systems—metaphors for societal, existential, and archetypal themes. These elements generate a sense of urgency and internal transformation, all breathing and performing in sync with the body. They shape behaviour, disrupt habitual patterns, and reflect social and psychological dynamics. Rather than supporting the choreography, these components operate within it, allowing space and movement to evolve together in real time.
  JUKSTA's choreographic worlds live between the visible and the invisible—sensed but not always seen. Their highly physical works provoke subtle yet poignant shifts in perception, confronting both performers and audiences with questions that linger beneath the surface. They ignite direct engagement with the intangible—an emotional force that transcends logic and speaks to vulnerability, catharsis, and collective truth. Paul and Christine are known for crafting multilayered, atmospheric environments where chaos and harmony coexist. Their staging is visually arresting, emotionally resonant, and open to interpretation. Offering audiences infinite ways to perceive their work, yet reaching towards something deeply human—a shared reality, imperfect yet searching.
  As creators, they continually pursue innovation through risk, refinement, and reinvention. Each project is a fresh inquiry, shaped by new strategies, codes, languages or context. Embracing both minimalism and maximalism, they embody the duality of "less is more and more is more."
  Their artistic reach extends beyond dance into opera, theatre, film, fashion and other cross-disciplinary fields— wherever movement holds meaning. As directors, Christine and Paul are adept at bringing together diverse voices, uniting performers and collaborators through a shared physical language and mutual trust.
  JUKSTA's work has been commissioned and presented by many of the world's leading institutions and festivals, including GöteborgsOperans Danskompani, Teatro alla Scala, Sadler's Wells, Salzburg Festspiele, Wiener Staatsoper, Onassis Cultural Centre Athens, Athens Epidaurus Festival, St. Gallen Theatre, National Theatre Mannheim, among others.
  Christine and Paul are committed to accessibility and the investment in nurturing future generations. Through mentorships, workshops, residencies, and seminars, they share their choreographic practice and support emerging artists across international festivals, academies, and companies. JUKSTA continues to build a lasting foundation for contemporary dance theatre—one that values imperfections, encourages reflection, and invites an ever-evolving exploration of movement and meaning.
PHOTO

MARIA STUARDA

SALZBURG FESTIVAL 2025

Tragedia lirica in two acts (1835) - Libretto by Giuseppe Bardari, after Friedrich Schiller’s tragedy Maria Stuart. Italian translation by Andrea Maffei
Here the focus is on the emotional lives of the two women, compressed into the final 24 hours before the death warrant is signed and Mary goes to her execution. In this brief period of time they experience all conceivable emotional extremes: the joy of victory, the collapse into depression, torturous self-questioning, the alluring anticipation of liberation and the paralysing fear of death.

Conductor
Antonello Manacorda
Direction
Ulrich Rasche
Choreography
Paul Blackman
Costume Designer
Sara Schwartz
Lighting Designer
Marco Giusti
Dramaturgy
Yvonne Gebauer
Set Designer
Ulrich Rasche
Assistant Choreographer
Joe Monaghan
Rehearsal Assistants
Dennis Krauß
Photographer
Monika Rittershaus
Cast
Kate Lindsey Elisabetta Lisette Oropesa Maria Stuarda Bekhzod Davronov Roberto, Count of Leicester Aleksei Kulagin Giorgio Talbot Thomas Lehman Lord Guglielmo Cecil Nino Gotoshia Anna Kennedy
Dancers from SEAD — Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance Concert Association of the Vienna State Opera Chorus Alan Woodbridge Chorus Master Angelika Prokopp Summer Academy of the Vienna Philharmonic Vienna Philharmonic